Luka Jovic, the perfect partner for Benzema

Whilst Karim Benzema has had the responsibility of carrying Real Madrid forward, despite the general desertion of those around him, many of his teammates have clung to the memory of the four Champions League titles as the main argument to claim a title that the 2018/19 season didn't deserve.

Among the veterans only Benzema, Ramos and Modric have escaped the disaster that has been Los Blancos' campaign. There have been some excuses. The brazenness of some reached the point of even blaming the three coaches, as if they had played no part in the dismissals of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari with their lame performances.

The fact is that after the painful defeat to Ajax, there has been a confirmation that the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo has been far more elongated than anybody could have imagined.

The club are aware they need more goals and have actually been looking for a forward for months, a player with the profile of being a pure No.9. Of which, there are very few in modern football, a finisher who is capable of producing in the present and the future.

The chosen one, as reported in MARCA a few days ago, is the promising Luka Jovic, the Serbian goalscorer, who at just 21, has become the star of the Bundesliga courtesy of his 25-goal haul in just 37 matches since joining Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.

Jovic meets all the requirements sought by those in power behind the scenes at Valdebebas, of which there were a few. He's talented, young, fairly inexpensive and doesn't occupy a non-EU slot within the squad. He wouldn't be a threat to the development of Vinicius Junior, but despite his proven goalscoring record he wouldn't arrive in the Spanish capital as someone who would be undisputed in the team selection.

He is ready to work in tandem with Benzema, who at 31 has somehow registered his best individual season in 10 years at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

With Los Blancos unwilling to publicly discard one of the few veterans who have performed well this season, it's not been an easy task for the club to find a reliable hitman who would accept starting matches from the bench - at least in his debut season. Real Madrid had such a figure three years ago in Alvaro Morata, but Mariano Diaz hasn't been able to succeed in the same role.

Despite his stocky build, Jovic is able to accompany attacking moves with runs in behind, as well as being a specialist inside the penalty area. He can score with either his left foot, right foot or head and plays with a vision of the goal at the forefront of his mind, constantly.

The Serbian star could be used as a lone forward in a 4-2-3-1 system or alongside Benzema in a 4-4-2. With his signature and that of Eden Hazard, the club's attacking corps would be reinforced with virtual goalscoring guarantees, never mind the presence of Vinicius, [Marco] Asensio and Rodrygo alongside them.

This also puts Los Blancos in a comfortable position irrespective of the outcome of Neymar's future and whether or not the club can make a new assault to sign a player who has long been a dream target for supporters.